Loved Him 15 Years, Then I Left

Chapter 6

Danica had barely stepped foot back into the guesthouse they were staying at when Lucas came bursting through the door, face pale with panic.

The second he spotted her sitting safe and sound in the living room, the heart that had been hammering in his throat finally settled, only to plummet straight into his gut right after, his face clouded over in a split second, sharp with unspoken anger.

"What the hell were you thinking, leaving without a word? Do you have any idea how close I was to losing my mind looking for you?"

He rarely ever lost his cool this badly, and there was a faint glint of lingering fear buried deep in his eyes.

Danica stood up and poured him a glass of warm water. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin your fun, so I figured it was better not to say anything..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lucas clamped down hard on her wrist, his voice low and rough with raw emotion. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

Their eyes locked, and Danica could feel how much tighter he was gripping her than he ever had before, like he was both trying to steady himself and clinging to her like she might vanish into thin air if he loosened his hold even the tiniest bit.

She didn't say a word in response, just gently tugged her wrist free and called the guesthouse owner to have their dinner sent up.

Midway through the meal, Lucas suddenly brought up an old memory from years back.

"Danica, do you remember the first time we met? You were hiding behind the rock garden in the gated villa neighborhood, crying your eyes out while you called for your parents. I remember thinking to myself, this little crybaby is gonna be so hard to cheer up.

"Then you looked up at me all sad and pouty, clutching a cake in your hand, and I made up my mind right then and there that I'd spend the rest of my life protecting you. I never would've guessed back then that we'd end up married..."

Danica's hand froze midair, spoon still holding a piece of food she'd been about to put in her mouth.

Lucas lifted his head to meet her gaze, his expression equal parts earnest and conflicted. "Every single thing you've done for me all these years, I've kept every last one of them in my heart.

"Eight years back, when I suddenly came down with a serious illness and ended up in the hospital, you knelt in the hospital's prayer area for three whole days and nights straight. You ended up with permanent knee damage from that. Every winter, the pain gets so bad you can barely walk.

"Four years ago, I took a bad fall during an outdoor team building event. You stayed by my hospital bed around the clock, no sleep, no rest. You were so scared you'd drift off and miss something, you pricked your own hand with a hairpin to stay awake, until your whole hand was covered in tiny little wounds. Before you gave me any medicine, you'd always sip it first to make sure the temperature was just right. Only then would you feed it to me.

"And even when I wanted to be with Yanna, you went to the elders on your own and agreed to let her move into the family home, just to let me have what I wanted. Looking back now, I owe you way too much. It feels like I've never done a single thing for you in return."

Danica set down her utensils, her mind went totally blank for a beat. She had no idea what to say. She'd never expected Lucas would actually remember all these tiny, dust-covered moments locked away for years.

She'd always thought Yanna took up every single corner of his heart, that there wasn't the tiniest spot left for her.

But now? None of it mattered anymore.

Danica took a slow, deep breath, her voice steady and calm when she spoke, "You don't have to go out of your way to make it up to me. I did all that back then just so I could have a clear conscience, so I'd have no regrets about how I cared for you."

'And no regrets about all the years I poured my heart into this,' she thought to herself.

Lucas' face fell instantly. "Danica, are you hiding something from me?"

Danica froze for a split second, then tugged up a faint, soft smile. "You know me better than anyone. I could never hide anything from you."

Lucas stared at the total, unshakable peace in her eyes, and a weird, hollow panic clenched tight in his chest.

Right as Danica stood up to head back to her room, he acted on pure instinct, stepping forward and yanking her into a tight hug.

Danica froze up. She could feel his breathing growing ragged against her back, and she frowned instinctively.

"Lucas…"

"When spring comes, I'll redo the villa's backyard. I'll transplant all the flowers you love, and you can plant whatever greenery you want. I'll even put up a swing, just like when we were kids, and I'll push you on it..." Lucas squeezed her even tighter in his arms, his deep voice gradually thickening with a choked tremor.

Danica stared out the window at the thick, heavy night, saying nothing at all.

They could never go back to their teenage years, just like how she had never been the one he held closest to his heart.

That entire night, Lucas clung to her like a lifeline, refusing to let go.

When the first pale, silvery glow of dawn seeped over the horizon, Danica, who hadn't slept a wink all night, gently pried his arms loose from around her waist.

She had only packed a small backpack, stuffing just her essential belongings inside before slinging it over her shoulder.

Bathed in the faint, soft morning light filtering through the window, Danica quietly studied Lucas' side profile.

That face had been carved into her heart for seven whole years, but it didn't matter anymore. She had decades of life ahead of her, more than enough time to erase this man from her mind entirely, slow and steady.

After a long, heavy silence, Danica moved to stand up and leave, but Lucas suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Danica..."

Her body went rigid. She glanced back and saw he was still fast asleep, and a twisted, bitter ache welled up in her previously calm chest.

After all these years, this was the first time she had ever heard him call her name in his sleep.

And it would be the last.

Danica didn't hesitate for a second. She gently pulled her wrist free, turned, and walked out of the guesthouse room.

She climbed onto the white car she had bought just the night before, glanced one last time up at the second-floor window of the guesthouse, then twisted the throttle.

The bike roared and sped toward the bright early morning sun, and Danica never looked back.